The present application generally relates to high-speed integrated circuit devices and, more particularly, to a method and system for optimizing power delivery to high-speed, high-pin count semiconductor devices.
Wireless communication systems have increased in number and in complexity over recent years. Such complexity has necessitated that the wireless communication systems, and handheld wireless devices in particular, utilize multilayer substrates with increased component packaging density. The use of multilayer substrates has allowed for the placement of segmented power and ground planes on interior substrate layers. Such configurations may result in long path lengths between, for example, a high-speed device and a corresponding decoupling capacitor. As a consequence, electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems may arise when high-speed devices are used on multilayer substrates with power and ground planes designed as multiple, segmented regions.
High-speed devices such as microprocessors may function using extremely short bursts of current. At high operating speeds, signal propagation delays, switching noise, and crosstalk between wire bonds due to mutual inductance and self-inductance contribute to signal degradation. The mutual inductance may result from interaction between magnetic fields created by signal currents in the wire bonds between the die and traces on the substrate, for example, and the self-inductance may result from the interaction of opposed magnetic fields created by anti-parallel electrical currents. As the number of inputs and outputs to the die continues to increase, external connections become more numerous and complex and, in some instances, result in the undesirably long wire bond leads and conductive substrate traces. Accordingly, faster and ever-increasing signal frequencies have created undesirable signal propagation effects from package lead or trace inductance.
As can be seen, there is a need for a semiconductor package configured to accommodate and substantially overcome inductance-related deficiencies, EMI concerns, and grounding issues so that full advantage of the beneficial aspects of the packaging concept might be realized in a relatively simple, cost-effective manner.